Drivers notice improvement in Turn 1 at Grand Prix of Houston

Friday’s first practice session for the Grand Prix of Houston at NRG Park featured considerably less drama than last year’s, when a huge bump in Turn 1 disrupted the proceedings, but it was not without incident.

Officials red flagged the session for about three minutes after a rubberized sealer placed in a crack in the pavement became dislodged. Several cars ran over the strip, but none suffered any damage.

The only collision the took place when Graham Rahal ran into the rear of defending series champion Scott Dixon’s car after Dixon appeared to slow suddenly. Both cars returned to the pits, where Rahal’s team replaced the car’s front wing.

“Turn 1 was a big improvement,” Ed Carpenter Racing driver Mike Conway said. “We’re not taking off there anymore and it’s really smooth now. You hardly notice where the bump was. It feels like they’ve changed the curbs in turns 2 and 3. They are more like chicanes now, while last year you could pound through it. The rest of the track is not too bad; it’s a typical, bumpy street track. The trickiest corner is the last one, where there’s a quick rise and dip as you go in. It gets your attention if you get sideways.”

Practice began under mostly cloudy skies and slightly cooler temperatures, but with high humidity. Series points leader Will Power posted the quickest time (1:00.44), but he had a scare early in the session when his car got airborne and nearly hit the wall after he ran over the chicane in Turn 2. The car did not appear to suffer any damage.

Simon Pagenaud posted the second quickest time of the opening session (1:00.69), followed by Sebastien Bourdais (1:00.77), Takuma Sato (1:00.79) and Tony Kanaan (1:00.83).

Andretti Autosport rookie Carlos Munoz is getting his first taste of the track in an IndyCar after racing in last year’s event in the Indy Lights series. He says the track is rough, but otherwise it’s in good shape. He believes this weekend’s races will be difficult for drivers.

“The track is similar to last year. It’s pretty bumpy, but Turn 1 is a big improvement,” Munoz said. “The most challenging thing will be the heat. Every time we stopped (in the pits) it was really hot, so it’s going to be a real challenge on the physical side.”